State and Religion |
Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian Renaissance philosopher and writer. Regarded as the founder of modern political theory for separating politics from conventional morality, he notes in The Prince, “A wise ruler ought not to keep faith, when by doing so, it would be against his interest.” The core idea is that the leadership must choose power/stability over moral or religious considerations, whenever the two conflict.
Pursuing Machiavellian thoughts, many States don’t always operate in religious blocs whilst pursuing diplomacy or pure self-interest. The US-Israel-Iran war and the accompanying relations of Arab regimes with the Ayatollah-led Iranian regime typifies that divide. Even the much bandied ‘Abraham Accord’ which seeks to normalise relations of Israel with some Islamic countries counters the exclusivity of religion as the sole lever of unity or disunity. Factors like regime perpetuation, regional security interests, regional influence/leverage, commercial opportunities, or even larger geopolitical considerations can conjoin the so-called “irreconcilable”.
Israel has pioneered the divide-and-manage tactics by pursuing selective partnerships with certain counter-intuitive states to secure its situation, within a Middle East that was already shaped by competing intra-regional rivalries. Israel pursued formal Treaties or Accords (historically with Arab countries like Egypt or Jordan) or supported informal or indirect ties with non-state or rival political actors in the region. Such opportunism evokes a mixed reaction in the region (beyond the official leadership) as the masses remain concerned about unsettled issues like Palestine.
The latest to join the bandwagon of regional intrigues is Somaliland, the breakaway region of Somalia, that has just announced the opening of an embassy in East Jerusalem. Israel had first driven the regional wedge when it became the first to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in December 2025. Incidentally, the constitution of Somaliland insists on full Shariacompliance, adherences and policies, as is the case for any hardline Arab State. However,........